“He threatened to hurt himself or others if the officers came near him,” said Capt. Heriberto Rodriguez.

That precipitated a standoff that dragged on for almost six hours over the weekend as authorities evacuated the five other families in Mathis’ 12th Avenue apartment building as well as the residents of the two adjoining homes, Rodriguez said.

Eventually, Mathis surrendered to the police officers at about 3 a.m. on Sunday, Rodriguez said. He was charged with robbery and weapons offenses in the December 26 stickup of a Main Street jewelry store. Police already had arrested two 26-year-olds people they say were his accomplices- Janayah Faruharson and Terry Benbow.

The officers who engaged in negotiations with Mathis during the ordeal were Capt. Richard Reyes, Sgt. Louis Spagnola and Detectives Steve Leishman and Keith Rotsaert, according to Rodriguez.